13 minute read
HP PRODUCTS REFLECT ITS COMMITMENT TO ‘SUSTAINABILITY
HP held its Partner First Roadshow at the Ritz-Carlton Dubai and CNME Editor Mark Forker, was on hand to find out how channel-centricity remains the core focus of the company’s strategy as it looks ahead to 2020.
The Partner First Roadshow attracted hundreds of HP partners as the IT leader showcased its diverse and innovative range of products in both the PC and printing space.
The theme of the event was ‘Together We Grow’ which underlines HP’s commitment to forge close
relationships with its partners. James Blackman, Regional Lead at AMD, delivered a keynote presentation in the opening session and highlighted the importance of embracing change in an era when technology continues to disrupt and reshape global industries.
“To survive you have to change. The world we live in is constantly evolving, so it’s imperative that
you’ve got the ability to be adaptive. You need to change in order to move forward. You’ve got to meet the expectations of your customers which are also evolving. If companies fail to embrace change then they won’t survive,” said Blackman.
Following the conclusion of the opening session, attendees were then divided into sub-groups where HP salespeople highlighted the
benefits of the products on display in more detail through a series of in-depth presentations.
CNME managed to secure an exclusive interview with Fadle Saad, Regional Manager – Middle East & Turkey at HP, onsite at the event. In a brilliant and wide-ranging interview, Saad outlined HP’s history of being channel-centric, the importance of the Partner First Roadshow and its approach to sustainability.
“HP is and always has been a channel-centric organisation. Our channel partners are at the core of our overall strategy. In addition to the multiple meetings and events we hold throughout the year, we decided that we wanted to host a Partner First Roadshow,” said Saad.
According to the Regional Manager of HP ME & Turkey, the Partner First Roadshow provides sales certification for its salespeople, is a workshop from a business perspective and enables leaders from both HP and its partners to be able to meet to discuss market trends and opportunities. “I really believe it sets the stage for the year ahead. We review the year gone by and we evaluate our strategy for the next 12 months. It is such an important event for us because we’re able to gather all our channel partners and distributors in the region under one roof to map out our future direction. Our channel partners undoubtedly provide HP with a competitive advantage. The whole structure of the new HP organisation was specifically designed in a way which helps us to get closer to our channel partners,” said Saad.
In relation to the products HP were displaying that Saad believes best represents the grand values the company stands for, he signaled out both the HP Elite Dragonfly and HP’s Never Stop Printer for special attention. “We’ve got a diverse range of products, but our HP Elite Dragon Fly and Never Stop Printer are two products that encapsulate and summarise our message and mission statement when it comes to sustainability. HP Elite Dragonfly, which is one of the slickest and most powerful business PCs on the market; is the world’s first notebook made
Fadle Saad, HP
from recycled ocean bound plastic,” said Saad.
In addition to this, he shared how HP had commissioned an Indoor Air Quality compliance study and highlighted, how HP Original Cartridges meet strict quality standards and help protect Indoor Air Quality.
This raised huge concerns over toner use in healthcare and education. Saad said its approach to sustainability made him extremely proud to work for HP, especially when our world faces real challenges of climate change.
“I feel the message of what HP stands for in terms of sustainability is being transferred to our customers and partners and I feel that the whole ecosystem we’re fostering is beginning to reap dividends. Our approach to sustainability makes me proud to work for HP. There are a lot of companies globally conveying a message on sustainability, but the furthest they take it is on slides and presentations, but at HP it’s in our DNA, said Saad.” The Partner First Roadshow concluded with the ‘HP Gala Dinner’ awards ceremony which saw several channel organisations presented with awards that recognised their commitment towards HP. “We’re here to celebrate collaboration, cooperation and teamwork. Last year, we stood here and we said we are number one in both PC and print. This year, we are still number one in both categories. We believe that there are new opportunities and new business out there, but all our success and achievements is because of our partners,” said Fadle Saad, Regional Manager ME & Turkey.
“In our transformation journey we feel that online is one of the categories that is coming up and that retail has never been better before. Today we are much more committed and more focused than ever before and we will harness all the data security trends to win the strategy.”
HP’s new products, Elite Dragon Fly and Never Stop Printer, has helped the company boost the horizon and break a few trends in the market.
Saad said, “We are committed to advance on products, partnerships and sustainability. By end of 2020, we will achieve zero deforestation goals and by 2025, 30 percent of the plastic we use will be from recycled plastic.”
Connecting the future
The 2020 BICSI EMEA Conference and Exhibition will shed light on the latest trends and best practices in the ICT space. John H. Daniels, CEO and executive director, BICSI, gives us a lowdown on what to expect at the show.
Global spending on information and communications technology (ICT) is expected to reach $4.3 trillion this year, according to research and analyst firm IDC. The growth will be driven by purchases of devices (mainly mobile phones and PCs) and enterprise applications.
Technology is changing at an exponential rate with new innovations and systems emerging, and continually keeping pace with this is no easy task. The Middle East region, in particular, is on the verge of massive digital disruption, with countries such as the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia leading the charge. To maximise the myriad economic and social gains in the digital era, nations are proactively adopting requisite technologies and developing the associated human capital.
“The rapid pace of technological advancements requires organisations to spare no effort on being at the forefront of change if they intend to stand out and be successful,” says John H. Daniels, CNM, FACHE, FHIMSS, CPHIMS, CEO and executive director, BICSI. “As technology evolves, organisations such as BICSI are constantly evolving with new curriculum, standards and publications geared toward enabling harness the value of this technological evolution.”
BICSI is a professional association supporting the advancement of the ICT/ extra low-voltage (ELV) professions. To date, it currently serves more than 26,000 members and credential holders.
With the aim of providing regional organisations with the latest trends and best practices in the ICT space, BICSI is hosting the 2020 edition of its annual conference for the EMEA region.
The 2020 BICSI Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Conference and Exhibition, which will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, is targeted towards a global audience of ICT/ELV professionals, including architects, consultants, engineers, cabling infrastructure installers and designers, integrators, decisionmakers, and anyone else involved in the ICT/ELV profession.
“Like the ICT/ELV profession, BICSI is evolving,” says Daniels. “Attending BICSI events and keeping up with our latest information including manuals and standards help industry professionals keep up with the everevolving business landscape.
“Furthermore, by being a part of BICSI through membership and credentials, individuals will gain access to this knowledge and keep current on what is changing in the industry so they can remain relevant and competitive in their work,” he adds.
BISCI promises to deliver an engaging agenda focusing on widearray of topics including intelligent buildings, smart cities, the Internet of Things (IoT), the latest developments in ICT/ELV standards, wireless and distributed antenna systems (DAS) and more.
Two keynotes are scheduled throughout the conference namely the ‘Global Trends in ICT Infrastructure’ by Lone Hansen of BSRIA in the United Kingdom, and ‘Developing Deeper Connections’ by Eugene Seah of Trainium Academy in Singapore.
This year’s BICSI EMEA Conference and Exhibition will also feature a fullday of pre-conference Masterclasses, where delegates can choose between ‘Fundamentals of Passive Optical LAN’; ‘Converged Networks – the Future of Intelligent Buildings as defined by BICSI 007’; or ‘Effective Data Centre Cooling Strategies.’ The annual EMEA Awards Ceremony will be held on the evening of the sencond day of the conference.
In addition to the robust conference agenda, the event also
John H. Daniels, BICSI
presents an excellent platform for industry peers to exchange insights and network with colleagues and other like-minded delegates from all over the world.
“Knowledge transfer is key in our industry and the best place to gain the latest insights is at a BICSI event,” says Daniels.
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
SAMIR CHOPRA, CEO AND FOUNDER OF RNS TECHNOLOGY SERVICE, SHARES INSIGHTS INTO HOW THE SECURITY-FOCUSED VALUE-ADDED RESELLER AND SYSTEMS INTEGRATION FIRM GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND TO DOUBLE ITS EFFORTS AROUND CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT, AND DISCUSSES HOW TRADITIONAL SI’S SHOULD EVOLVE THEIR BUSINESSES TO ENSURE THEY ARE RELEVANT IN TODAY’S ERA.
Established in 2015, RNS Technology Services provides customers with information and cybersecurity solutions through its team of technical experts and strategic consultants.
Over the last year, RNS has made major investments with four new offices in Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Malaysia, and a global delivery center in Pune. The firm has also invested heavily to meet the needs of the customer’s globally, thereby strengthening its workforce, technical teams, support teams, and providing the vendors and OEMs the comfort of the coverage and penetration RNS has in the market. 2019 was a turning point for RNS in the Middle East – The company established itself as one of the organisations with a strong emphasis on innovation, customer experience, and delivering sustainable and scalable solutions to its customers.
Samir Chopra, Founder and CEO of RNS Technology Services, says, “As an organisation, we want to focus on excellence. I believe there is a gap for a boutique niche player like us, and we are extremely passionate, enthusiastic and excited about the solutions and services we bring to the market.”
The SI also sees a large void in the market where there are only a few people who care about certain aspects of cybersecurity and safety from a macro perspective. “There is a massive gap when you compare our region to some of the other more mature markets in the world, the advisory services, virtual CISOs, partners and trusted advisors. This is primarily because I see, with all due respect, that most organisations are
sales-oriented rather than deliveryoriented,” says Chopra.
The CEO also highlights how the company prefers to go the extra mile to ensure that no customer is dissatisfied. Chopra adds, “We focus on the basics, fortify and strengthen the key elements, relook right from the foundation level and then upwards.”
CHOOSING A SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR (SI) A key area where customers fail to understand is not the strength of the number of people in an organisation but the number of relevant subject matter experts within the organisation who are trained and certified to deliver the solution, explains Chopra.
He says, “For example, an organisation may have a 100 people, but these 100 people may do 50 other things and have no relevant subject matter expertise in cybersecurity solutions. Whereas, a company with 50 people who are focused on delivering those
solutions, and have the relevant certified trained engineers on site and off-shore, could mean that an efficient organisation is far better suited to address the concerns and the success of the project.”
According to Chopra, one of the most common mistakes the customer makes that endangers the capacity of the project is, by choosing the cheapest over the best.
“I see a lot of organisations completely ignoring the capabilities that have had an impact on the success of the project. My advice to customers today is to develop a methodology and to mature the procurement system, whereby the commercial aspect of the project is given importance but, at the same time, the ability to execute the project should also have an equal weightage if not more,” he adds. Moreover, Chopra opines that anyone who walks into the room and tells the customer that the project is going to be a hundred percent successful or error free or without any hiccups is just a lie.
“We align ourselves with the business objectives of our customers in order to ensure that those objectives are met. Our customers appreciate this kind of partnership, advisory, trustworthy and a reliable organisation. At RNS, everyone is
first a customer success officer and the second role is whatever he/she is hired to do.”
RNS was a non-existing organisation a few years back and today, it has secured more than 200 enterprise organisations in the region including national critical infrastructures, public sector, banking and financial industries, ministries, healthcare, education sector etc. He says that the company has gone around in a very systematic focused way and found a niche area to contribute in.
“Today, sell and walk away doesn’t work because the way people buy and interact has changed,” he says. “There are new innovative ways that are being introduced in the industries and there are disruptive ways and means of operations. A clear strategy on what your purpose is, and how you contribute to your customer
success in the process, enabling them to achieve excellence and have a great experience is key.” Chopra says that the company will aim to achieve its total annual revenue of a hundred million dirham in 2020.
“Our goal is to provide better advisory services to people who understand the blurred lines between technology and business objectives.”
Another area in which RNS will be focusing, this year is managed services offerings. The CEO believes that the region is still young and inexperienced in this area when compared to other mature regions around the globe.
These offerings have not been delivered with the same level of passion, excitement, sincerity and commitment so that’s something RNS is very keen on bringing to the market.
Chopra concludes by saying, “We believe in going deeper
rather than going wider and this contributes to all of these factors making RNS very impactful and hugely successful in this region.”
